Broker held for fake job offers

A 25-year-old woman was arrested in Phnom Penh yesterday after being accused of scamming five people by promising them work in Japan.

The fake broker Om Phana was arrested after the victims filed a complaint against her when they realised they had been tricked.

One of the victims Bou Sitha, 39, decided to press charges. The other four were men between 25 and 32 years of age.

Ms Sitha told authorities that the victims and the broker all knew each other and lived nearby.

She accused the suspect of promising them jobs as fruit farm workers paying nearly $1,000 a month.

She added that between the five of them, they had paid the broker almost $8,000 to prepare the documents and jobs for them since August.

But on November 16, as they all waited at Phnom Penh airport for their departure for Japan, the broker never showed with their passports.

Talking with airport officials, they realised their names were not on the flight list.

Ms Sitha then went straight to the police in Chom Chao commune to file a complaint.

“We should have known because she kept delaying the departure every month,” she said.“We knew where the broker lived, so we told the police. Now we do not want to leave to Japan, but we need our money back.”

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